Forum Discussion
Hi everyone,
Thanks for the additional reports. We’re continuing to gather details on this issue.
At the moment, the reports here do not all look identical. Some mention access through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate / EA Play, some mention owned copies, and some mention Xbox Cloud Gaming. Because of that, I do not want to assume a single cause yet.
If you’re affected, please reply with the following so the reports can be separated properly:
- Game: College Football 26 or Madden 26
- Platform: Xbox console, PC via Xbox app, or Xbox Cloud Gaming
- Access type: Game Pass Ultimate / EA Play, or purchased/owned edition
- If purchased, did you install/launch it from your owned library or purchase history?
- Did the game work previously before this started?
- When does the error appear: at launch, after a game ends, or both?
- Are other EA titles working normally on the same account?
- If on console, are you using the account that owns the subscription/purchase, and is that console set as the Home Xbox for that account?
- If you contacted support already, include your case number
A few checks may still be worth trying for locally installed console copies only:
- Launch the game from your owned library/purchase history if you own it outright
- Confirm you are signed into the account that owns the purchase or active subscription
- Confirm the correct Xbox account is linked to your EA Account
- Check whether the console is set as the Home Xbox for the owning account
- Remove and re-add the Xbox profile, then sign back in and test again
For Xbox Cloud Gaming reports, reinstall-based steps are obviously less relevant, so please clearly state whether your issue is occurring through Cloud Gaming.
The more consistent the details are in a single thread, the easier it is to determine whether this is a single issue or multiple similar-looking issues.
Game: College Football 26
Platform: PC via XBox App AND via browser
Access Type: Game Pass Ultimate
Work Previously: Yes, initially without problems (early March), then message trial was about to expire (Early April) and urging to purchase full product (even though that is impossible on PC) but you could still play, then the EA Trial Error became more and more frequent, initially just in the evening (US East Coast), you either got the Trial Error or the please buy the full product warning (but you could still play) then since last week every single login.
Error: Appears at launch, cannot even play the game
Other Titles: yes, everything works including Madden 26 (on Steam)
I guarantee the wrong version is installed on the EA Play/XBox GamePass servers. EA needs to create a new build, disable the Trial flag and upload them. You cannot access without GamePass anyway, so no need to check for the trial.
Instead of trying desperately to find the root cause, find a workaround first.. Upload a new build with the trial check disabled and you're done.